


Renovations and Revelations

by Dawnbie



Series: Splitted Sides: Purple Clouds and Grey Dots [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Little Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Angst, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Has PTSD, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Mess, Big Brother Sleep | Remy Sanders, Child Neglect, Crying, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Is A Good Friend, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Is Anxiety | Virgil Sanders' Parent, Deceit | Janus Sanders is Anxiety | Virgil Sanders' Parent, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mental Breakdown, Non-Sexual Age Play, Parental Deceit | Janus Sanders, Protective Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Protective Deceit | Janus Sanders, Short Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Short Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Tall Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Tall Deceit | Janus Sanders, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders, parental dark creativity | remus "the duke" sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:09:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29966880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnbie/pseuds/Dawnbie
Summary: Roman is flabbergasted at Virgil for having not entered his own living space despite it being open now. Thankfully, Remy and Remus know exactly what to do.(please heed the tags!)
Series: Splitted Sides: Purple Clouds and Grey Dots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2192625
Kudos: 31





	Renovations and Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning for:  
> Child neglect  
> implied/referenced child abuse  
> Trauma  
> Trauma induced regression  
> Mental Breakdown  
> Crying

“You still haven’t gone in your apartment? Why the hell not? You can play your music as loud as you want, you can customize it however you want, you could even add extra floors if you wanted! Why wouldn’t you want to even look inside?” He couldn’t wrap his head around Virgil’s reluctance, even as the anxious side curls up a bit on the couch to hide from his and Logan’s questioning glances he still doesn’t get it. How could  _ any _ side be wary of their own room?

“I -I just… don’t wanna go in there. What if I get locked in? Or the door gets covered and you guys don’t realize I’m still in there and I never get out again?” The way Virgil worded himself… Roman couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for the slightly rocking side, unsure how to de-escalate these fears. 

Logan seemed to have a better grasp on that though. “Now Virgil, that seems highly unlikely. Yes, we may have been unaware your door was there previously, but it would be extremely unlikely for us to suddenly not realize your absence current day.” Roman nodded in agreement, thank Disney at least one of them understood how to counter fears like that!... Though, it doesn’t seem to have fully worked as Virgil is still slightly rocking. Now he’s actively avoiding looking at either of them too. It doesn’t seem like Logan is even aware of this display as he continues regardless. “Besides, if you ever had been locked in your room from the rest of us then surely someone would have picked up on a new presence within the mindscape.” The regal of the three watched as Logan nodded to himself in a satisfactory stance. 

He couldn’t help picking up Virgil mumbling in response. “Sorry, Virgil. I didn’t quite hear that. Could you repeat that please?” 

Virgil’s sharp singular inhale and snapping his eyes frantically to each side not being something missed from Logan as he placed his book down, finally focusing on Virgil. “Nothing!... I mean, it- it wasn’t that important anyway, don’t worry about it.” Roman shifted his stance, suddenly way more uncomfortable than when he came in.

Thank the stars Remy came in. Drinking- wait, was that Roman’s mug? “What ‘cha babes doin’?” Before either Roman or Logan could speak, Virgil snapped up. 

“Nothing! We weren’t talking about anything!” All three sides looked over to the now flustered side, his face scrunched up and he waits for something to end the awkward tension. 

Logan only had a face of confusion as he tries to piece together why this wasn’t something he wanted to discuss. However, he’ll need to figuratively shelve his questioning for a later point. “Well, we were discussing when Virgil would be most comfortable with reorganizing his place of stay.” Roman watched as Virgil sunk himself deeper into the couch cushions than he already was. “It was then brought to our attention that Virgil hasn’t even stepped inside yet.” Roman turned his attention to Remy, who looked surprisingly calm despite how frustrating this whole process has been for Princey.

“Well,  _ this _ sounds like a job for Remy and Remus.” Roman watched as Remy put his mug into the dishwasher. The semi-cranky side adjusting his bag, leather jacket, and walkie-talkie before taking a deep breath. With a flick up of his wrist and calling out ‘Remus,’ he summoned the much more chaotic of the royal sides. Well, mostly. Apparently, Remus’s foot was stuck in the floor still when he rose up.

This didn’t seem to detract him however as he yanks his foot up with the rest of him. “Oh, hey! You almost got all of me that time! Next time we should find out if we can summon someone from up to down like giving birth standing. Now  _ that’ll _ be something.” Roman groaned whilst Virgil just snickered at the arrival of Remus. “But anyway, back on track! I take it you needed something from the spicy twin?” 

Remy nods as he straightens his shades with a gold rim. “Yeah, Virgil’s too freaked out by his room to renovate.” A croaked out ‘hey’ being ignored as Remy points towards Roman and Logan. “And these two meatballs don’t have any clue how to make that process any smoother.” Remus nodded in understanding walking over to Virgil who’s began hissing at the approaching side.

“Say no more, I’ve got all the best solutions! All three of you are coming with! No objections!” Roman and Logan glanced over at each other in confusion over what they’ve been roped into. They couldn’t really even voice this confusion as Remus grabbed Virgil and sat him over his shoulder.

Logan didn’t seem to mind as much as he stood up to follow Remus into the hall, summoning a pen and notebook to take notes of the room. Having already taken extensive notes on Patton and Roman’s rooms from when they all first gained form. “Will you be alright if I write down the things I see Virgil?” A part of Logan suddenly paling a bit at his own question, his mind looking back to when he had asked to look over Patton’s room again once before out of curiosity over anything new appearing within.

“Sure L, just don’t write down if I end up freaking out or anything when we… take care of stuff inside.” 

Remy looked over at a confused Roman, playfully nudging the side to get his attention. “C’mon Shortcake, Remus ain’t dragging you into this over nothing.” A moment of staring at Remy and a huff later, Roman found himself following after the three. Looking back, an amused Remy watches him as they walk.

A thought dawning on him as they approach the battered and weak door that seems to be constantly oozing blackness. “Wait, shouldn’t we have Patton and Deceit with us for this too?” Looking back towards Remy, he could barely see past the shades his eyebrows rising. 

“Babe, Virgil ain’t on the best of terms with Patton. Having him here would just freak the guy out. Which is the last thing we need when he’s supposed to be getting everything back in place.” Roman nodded a bit, still not grasping why any side could have an issue with Patton, but willing to just let it go. “As for  **Deceit** … not sure what happened between those two, but the same issues with Patton apply with him too. Just less intense, I guess.” Now, this was a surprise to Roman. For as long as he’s known Virgil, not once has the angsty side ever really said anything nice about the snake. 

His thoughts shifted from Virgil to the door before them. He snapped his gaze to each of them before landing on Logan’s as he readjusts his glasses and jots down notes. “I believe the best course of action is to look over the premise first, then begin reconstruction. This way we can make note of any damage to repair before anyone gets carried away with pointless decorations.” Both creativities sending a slight glare at Logan’s word choice as Remus puts Virgil down.

The four taller sides waited as Virgil didn’t make any moves towards the door. Virgil couldn’t help the heavy feeling just by standing at the door, the shifting of his weight nor looking at the bottom frame adding any sort of comfort. “Do… do I have to do this? Couldn’t I just stay in one of your guy’s rooms?” No one said anything as Remus put a hand on his back. 

“I don’t fully understand, one’s room within the mindscape is meant as a place of a side’s most significant comfort and concentration. But… your room doesn’t complete this task?” Virgil shrugged as Logan readjusted his stance before taking a step towards the door, feeling the ooze dripping from the door. “Remus, you have the most control over the more mature subject matter when it comes to creativity.”

Remus owlishly blinks, “I mean yeah? What does this have to do with anything right now?” 

Everyone watched as Logan took the sample on his fingers and directed them towards Remus. “Are you capable of identifying what this material is?”

Virgil looked at the floor as Remus sniffed it, the duke suddenly going pale as he pulls a rag out from his back pocket and began scrubbing the substance from Logan’s fingers in a hurry. Logan and Roman exchange confusion filling looks towards the act while Remy hugs Virgil from behind, pulling him away from the door a bit. “Okay, a slight change in plan! You guys back up and I’ll open the door, I  _ don’t _ want this stuff getting on you guys if there’s more inside.” 

“Ah, before that. I would like to do something.” Before Remus could express if it was okay or not, Logan summoned a cotton swab and evidence baggy. They could only stare in surprise and bewilderment as Logan gathered a sample, quickly sending the thing likely back to his room. “Alright, that is all I wanted to gather.”

“... Never do that shit to anything involving another side’s room again, Logan.” A flush spread across the logical side as he stepped back a few more steps. Roman shook his head as everyone refocused on the sound of the door opening, Remus taking the lead. “Okay, if you find anything that seems like it’s too fucked to cover up, put some of this tape over it. Virgil, I know that this might be rough on you, so if you wanna sit this out, no one will judge.” Remus explained as he summons all of them bright greenish-yellow safety tape.

The inside was horrific, even to Remus. The thick coat of dust over everything causing Remy of all sides to cough. As they all begin to enter, several things begin to stick out. The number of either rotted baby jars or empty baby bottles causing the shorter creativity to gag at the somehow lingering smell, the walls greyed out with vertical lines looking like a prison, and the number of sheet-covered things being the biggest noticeable features. The furniture covering looked to have been done in a hurry too. Logan turned his head towards Virgil to ask about some of these… most likely unconscious design choices he made as an infant, only to see the side staring at one of the wooden chests as he slightly shook, a slight whine being the only sound to come from the side. “Virgil?” He walked in front of the shortest, only for Virgil to seemingly stare through him. “Virgil, is everything alright?” As he reached his hand out, hopefully, to ground him as Remus had moments earlier, Virgil jolted back with a look of shock and confusion then rushed over to the intrusive side, slightly wobbling in the process. ‘Perhaps I should give him some more space for a while…’ the worrying thought fluttering through Logan. Before long, Logan found himself looking at the under of the stairs, hopefully being able to see if the room will need any major repairs after so long of inhabitants. Only to find mold rotting the under of the stairs. He didn’t hesitate to put tape across the door and staircase. Thank god no one had tried going upstairs first. Once he turned and spotted Virgil staying by Remy, he approached Remus, curious over what he’s looking at. 

Only to see Remus staring at scribbles along the trim of the wall. The intent being unclear now that everything seems to have lost all color and how a baby likely wouldn’t even know what letters would be, let alone be able to write. “Y’know, back when Virgil was real little, he was always so fucking freaked out by the  _ smallest _ of moments by himself. It was like he thought some monster would appear and rip him to a pulpy mass if he didn’t have someone there at all times.” Logan looked up at the taller side, seeing both endless anger and despair spread across his face. “I’d hear them sometimes, the memories he had. Guess that’s why I was usually the first to try comforting him over even small stuff. Sometimes it helped him feel safer in the moment, sometimes it caused him to panic a lot more, sometimes… sometimes Virgil couldn’t even remember where he was.” Logan’s eyes widened at this. 

“How come you’re telling me this? Shouldn’t Virgil be the one to discuss this?”

Remus shrugged turning towards an old ripped poster of ‘Steamboat Willie’. “I mean, those sorts of symptoms don’t pop up nearly as much as it used to or as severe. But, it’s not like he ends up remembering that he even  _ has _ those symptoms to start with, let alone what could cause them to start up.” Logan startled a bit feeling something large and slimy swim into his hold, only to look down and realize it’s one of Remus’s odd tentacles giving his hand a squeeze. “Just thought it was good to let you know that it ain’t your fault if Virgil gets really jumpy around you while in here. Once we scrub this fossil of a room down and fix it up, that should help Virgil out a bit more.” 

Logan snapped his gaze to Remus’s face. “S-so Virgil’s getting startled by me just now…”

He was given a nod. “Was just LeapFrog not recognizing you after looking at something setting him off. Just give him a while, it’ll click back.”

“How long is ‘a while’ for his symptoms?” Remus shrugged, staring at the sheet-covered furniture. 

“Dunno, usually it would last a few hours but it has taken the guy weeks to even remember someone, or for him to feel stable. It can be pretty rough sometimes.” Logan wasn’t sure what to say to this, unsure how to help with something like this. But… at least he can be kept sure that Virgil doesn’t somehow start associating him with whoever caused this level of regression and trauma in the smallest side.

  
  


<3: E }

  
  
  


No one was sure what they would see when they finally got to the second floor. Sure, the caked dust and the growing smell of mold were a given at this point. But Logan and Roman weren’t sure why there were footprints imprinted within the dust when no one should have been there, Remy and Remus looking freaked out by this. The things within the bathroom and bedrooms, however, had things none of them were expecting.

Logan was hoping to see some old relics of whatever a very young Virgil had done for basic self-care. Perhaps a baby shampoo, maybe a toothbrush if he had teeth yet? But, he couldn’t ignore the large, nearly black, stains along the bottom of the tub. Whatever had caused it seems to have faded away, yet this didn’t provide comfort as he stares at the faded walls. A part of him shifting from making notes on what Virgil would theoretically like to make notes on these disturbing areas. His eyes snapped towards the dust-covered shampoo bottle. Wait, wasn’t that the kind of shampoo Patton used to have back when Thomas was much younger? Did Patton have something to do with this? Logan couldn’t even tell if ‘this’ refers to the unkempt state of the estate or the implications the stains leave behind...

The way the pile of letters on the small tea table in the nursery appears to have less dust than everything else left Roman a bit weary. The crib, upon looking closer, seemed to be filled with a lot of dark stains. Thank the stars the passage of time has forced the smell to dissipate and be drowned out by the smell of dust and mold. He turned as Virgil entered, a gross feeling building in his gut as he looked at the only side he was shorter than. Virgil’s hazy gaze landed on the envelopes as confusion wrapped him up. The anxious side shuffled towards the table, slowly squatting a seat in one of the tiny squeaky chairs. A part of the princely side told him that leaving right now wouldn’t be a good idea, so Roman watched as Virgil shakily grabbed one envelope, seemingly looking it over. Only for Virgil to look back up slightly, almost like he was processing something. “Uh, Virgil? What… what are you looking at Virgil?” 

The anxious looked up at a worried Roman, slightly dazed. “Letters.”

Roman couldn’t help feeling confused by what was happening before him. “Okay?”

“These letters were from Janus and Remus to me!” The sudden grip on the envelopes and childish energy coming from Virgil startling Roman a bit. “I love my letters.” The whispery voice making the princely side more uncomfortable as Logan peaked into the room.

Roman forced out a smile, “that’s… that’s nice?”

The two now watch as Virgil suddenly stood up, snapping himself towards one of the shelves. “And there’s my teddies, and my dolls, and my trains.” The sorrowful mania in Virgil’s voice alarming Remy and Remus in the hall as they followed Virgil’s spike of blurred together thoughts. “This room… this was my baby bed!” Tears begin puddling in the corners of his eyes as he looks down into his stained crib.

It didn’t take long for Remus to hurry over to Virgil as he began breaking down, his heavy breathing mixed with snot and tears while he shook in Remus’s hold. Remus himself staring into the crib with a haunted look. Remy didn’t say anything as he leads the two back downstairs away from the room, tilting his shades down to look both ‘lights sides’ in the eyes. The two decided to follow after the others, Logan looking back at the hall long enough to notice a blocked-off door nearly identical to the one they entered to see this place. The logical side may not have all the pieces just yet, but from the pieces he’s got, none of this makes Patton look like the morally good father figment he carries himself as.

  
  


<3: E }

  
  
  


Roman rubbed his face as he looks around at the amount of safety tape placed across the place. A part of him felt heavy with guilt for pressuring Virgil into coming in here, the other contemplating whether going with his plan B would have been easier to do. At least if he were to check the place himself then he would have known exactly why Virgil didn’t want to go in here and hopefully made the idea of coming in easier by cleaning it himself. The sudden touch of his shoulder startling him from his thoughts as he looked at Remy and Logan. 

“So Babes, where do we start fixing this place up? Not like this place will clean itself or anything.” Roman let out a strained sigh as he looked towards the kitchen.

The logical side readjusted his glasses as he took his own look over the room. “It seems like the best course of action would be for each of us to remove everything from each section to the first floor. From there it should be much easier for us to reconstruct the most hazardous areas to be safer.” Remy flicked his shades down to look over at Roman. The princely side unsure why he was being given such a look.

“Does that plan sound smooth to you girl or do you have an alternate plan to tackle this?” Roman’s eyes grew in surprise, he was asking his take?

“Oh, uh yeah. Yeah, this should be good to work with.” Remy placed his shades back in place as he walks towards the living room.

The two exchange a look of surprise at the amount of cooperation coming from Remy of all sides, even more so with how much he’s aiming to help them out. “Okay, I call dibs working on the living room! Gonna make this place so cozy he’s gonna wanna sleep on the ceiling!” A small snicker slipped Roman as he watched Logan almost retort before just surrendering to the promise.

Readjusting his tie he looks towards the stairs. “I suppose I will be working with the staircase then, the sooner we work on the upstairs the better. I already have my own ideas on how to improve that part of the complex.” Roman rolled his eyes with a smirk, a bit glad that he wasn’t going to be stuck fixing this place himself, even if he is one half of creativity. 

Roman’s eyes met the kitchen again, the chunk of room practically mocking him. “I think I’m gonna clear out the kitchen, I just might need to give all that rotten food a piece of my mind.” He couldn’t help chuckling a bit at the thought. 

The look of bewilderment went unnoticed as Roman headed towards the kitchen. “I would hope not, he’ll need his entire mind to help clear out the first floor…”

None of them were really surprised that it didn’t take long for them to clear out everything Virgil clearly wouldn’t want. Just a benefit of them and their surroundings being metaphysical rather than real, otherwise, this whole place would have been labeled as a hazard. Roman couldn’t help smiling at Remy as he saw the sleep side beaming at the room’s gradual shift to more purple hues rather than grey. Not like Roman is one to judge anyway, the way the room seemingly began waking up as the place got cleaned and fixed. The second Logan finished fixing the staircase to a solid simple metal one to adjust later, he didn’t even say anything as Remy and Roman began hopping and stomping on the steps in mixed excitement and worry. 

The moment they reached the task of fixing up the second floor, they couldn’t help but notice Remy hesitate. “Babes, this is super cathartic and all, but I don’t think we should go changing the shapes of anything without  **Deceit** here. You can hate him all you want but the side’s practically a genius when it comes to way more self-care stuff and I don’t usually work on things like bedrooms without  **Deceit** .”

They wanted to argue that the three of them can handle the upstairs just fine, but it was obvious how important this task is to Remy and they couldn’t brush off how certain Remy was carrying himself about the matter. “Well, it’s so  **awful** that Remus came to find me then, isn’t it?” The three darted their eyes up to see the snake side in an unusual getup of a long sleeve black shirt, yellow baggy overalls, thick work boots with gloves, and a pale yellow beanie. He couldn’t help the playful wave of his fingers at them as Logan and Roman gawk and Remy’s smile grew wider. “Well, enough stalling, I believe we have an upstairs to work on?” He brushed past the three in the hallway into the nearest room, the bathroom. 

It didn’t take long for the bathroom to get cleared bare, Roman couldn’t help noticing how Deceit seemed to grow giddier at the growing violet coloring within the home. The moment Janus walked into Virgil’s bedroom he seemed to slow down by a lot, the act not being lost on any of them. “Yeah, this is kinda why I didn’t wanna try taking on this bitch of a room on my own. It’s real hard to tell if some of these things will be okay to save or if really keeping anything would set Virgil off.”

Logan couldn’t look away from the spiteful glare Deceit was sending to the inside of the carrier, Roman couldn’t help picking up on the tightening grip Deceit was placing on it. Janus suddenly turned to the rest of them, a calm smile spread across his face. “Well, I would say in my _very_ **humble** opinion that keeping anything that’s clearly been here the longest must go. No questions asked. But, things that haven’t been here nearly as long, like the letters, can be saved for when he fully moves in proper.” The three nodded in agreement as he and Remy began moving about the room in earnest. “And you two can handle the hallway, that had _far_ too many squeaking boards and that just won’t _do_ for Virgil.”

Roman couldn’t help staring at Janus for a moment before following after Logan, still feeling bitter about the courtroom incident and the tone used about the hall leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Janus was beyond furious at what little he’s seen, could that prick really not be bothered to at least clean the place once Virgil was brought down? The hints of mistreatment he could pick up from the bathroom and bedroom alone made him want to hunt the side down himself. No wonder Remus told him to wear messy clothes and bring a stress ball, just  _ seeing _ this place is aggravating enough. He couldn’t help summoning all his limbs as he disintegrated as many things in the room as possible. He even formed a box to keep all of Virgil’s letters in, he should have known letters wouldn’t have reached him… “ **Deceit** , you need a breather?” Janus snapped his eyes up towards Remy, only now realizing he’s snapped the head off one of the crumbling dolls in his hands. “Don’t worry Babes, I’m pissed at this too. But we just gotta hold it together long enough to make all this shit non-existent. Right  **Deceit** ?” The yellow side couldn’t help snickering at the brown-clad side.

“You’re- You’re going to milk this until I give them my name, aren’t you?” Remy gave an innocent shrug as Janus calmed his bit of laughter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” A smile growing on Remy’s face as Janus nudged him. 

The clearing process went by a lot smoother now that the two didn’t feel the brink of breaking down the door at the end of the hall. If he wanted to pretend that Virgil wasn’t his split, then so be it. It _definitely_ **wasn’t** Remy’s idea to make a mock-replica of the hall but as a flat block of cement in front of said door and to cover it with a circular curtain with spiders all over it, Janus wouldn’t tell. The two snickering like scooby doo villains the whole time. Even when Roman asked what the spider curtain was for, the excuse of it being something aesthetically for Virgil was left with no challenge, just odd glances from Logan and Roman.

The moment they all got downstairs, a sudden seriousness waved over Janus and Remy. It’s hard to blame them when Patton was looking around the kitchen like someone about to rent the place out. “Patton, what a  **pleasant** surprise. Sorry to break it to you, but last I checked you weren’t exactly  _ invited _ .” They all watch as Patton spun around in alarm before calming at the sight of Roman and Logan. 

“Oh! Hey, kiddos-”

“Piss off.” Roman and Logan snapping a shocked face towards Remy.

Patton seemed to ignore it. “- I was just coming over to see what was going on, Virgil’s moving into his room soon I take it?”

The scowl stayed firmly plastered over Remy and Janus’s faces. Neither Logan nor Roman said anything in fear of evoking something. Deceit didn’t seem to wish to be nice as he stormed over to the fatherly side. “Did I stutter? You were  _ not _ invited, Patton. Don’t  _ ever _ enter here without permission again.” Remy following close behind as Janus gripped Patton’s arm to drag him out. Patton gave no fight as he was brought outside the door, but didn’t seem too happy about being kicked out of his sniffling had anything to say about it. The repeatedly wet ‘I’m sorry’ as he was directed out. Roman and Logan noticing how the door looks a lot healthier than when they had entered.

Remy made an extra note to slam the door, Janus letting out an annoyed sigh. “So sorry about that, we just take boundaries a bit seriously. Especially when it comes to  _ specific _ sides.” Roman and Logan couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated by the sudden shift in attitude by the two.

“It’s… it’s alright you two. I may not fully grasp everything that’s happened, but I would be a fool if I were to disregard a reaction such as… well, any that we have seen.” Janus let out a huff through his nose as Remy stomped over to the broken fridge.

None of them said anything as he slammed the door shut and conjured a drink of some kind. “Who the hell does he think he is?! Fucker fucking ditches then pops back up once shits finally going right, acting like nothing’s wrong, bitch no! I am not about that! That just… Argh! Such  _ bullshit _ !” Janus just let out a frustrated sigh, already sharing the sentiment. However, pulling himself out of his funk once he remembers that Roman and Logan had just seen all of that.

“Don’t worry you two, it’s nothing serious. We’ll just get back to fixing this place up… in a little bit.” Roman and Logan just stare at the display, neither being able to recall a time they’ve seen Remy this genuinely angry or Deceit being this burnt out. Either way, they don’t like it.

Logan clears this throat as he heads to the kitchen himself, summoning his teacher flask from his room and filling it with water. “I suppose now would be a good time to pause and collect ourselves. Especially since this next part will have to do with shifting how things are set up in here, some of this place lacks both space and necessary rooms to be considered a proper home and we will need to discuss which things can be worked with.” Roman and Janus nodded while Remy just sat on the counter fuming. The teachery side summoned an extra cup, filled it with water, and handed it to Remy.

Or he would if Remy would take the glass. “Uh, no thanks,  _ Babe _ . I’ve got my bean water to drink.” The ‘babe’ coming out much more aggressive than friendly… or even flirty. 

Logan shook his head, “we will be likely talking about adjustments for a while, and coffee isn’t exactly the best for keeping a clear and loud voice… which, Virgil is a testament to this as he is situated between myself and Roman during discussions.” An offended ‘hey’ and a chuckle from the dining room being enough for Remy to drink a bit of the clear liquid.

The calm moment coming to a close as Remy finished his coffee. “Okay girls, how do we wanna start this off? Are we gonna start with the room itself then furniture or are we doing furniture then rooms?” Roman tapped his chin in thought as Janus shrugged, Logan sighing at the two’s similar attitude.

“Obviously we start with the room structure first, this way we’ll know what kinds of furniture would work best depending on Virgil’s needs.” The three nodded in agreement as they began looking about.

It didn’t take long for the Kitchen to be expanded significantly from the claustrophobic tightness and it now having a proper oven. Janus and Logan had worked together forming and summoning a proper laundry room with a washer and dryer. Remy couldn’t help himself when it came to making a really soft carpet that Virgil could have times to lie down on. But the tricky part seemed to solely be with the upstairs. Not only had they needed to expand Virgil’s bedroom, but they needed to change its shape from a simple cube to something much odder. The singular step through the room and the added closet causing the room to become a lot closer to a chunky ‘L’ shape. Even when Logan expresses his concern over the lack of symmetry, Janus was able to convince him that this is the sort of thing Virgil prefers. The bathroom was a slightly easier process as all they needed to do was implement a proper bathroom counter, bath, and toilet and they’re done. They even implemented an extra room that Virgil’s home seemed to be lacking, just so he could have an extra room for other things like everyone else’s, as Logan had made note of himself. 

The furnishing stage was the easiest part for all the rooms, Remy and Janus both emphasizing support and comfort. Logan and Roman agreeing on having both plastic and ceramic dishes for Virgil to pick from, and Janus even brought in an aquarium for Virgil’s room… no, he didn’t explain it to Logan and Roman. He just quietly laughed at the duo. 

By the time they finished with the last tasks, the sun has begun setting. Remy got everyone’s attention as they headed towards the now vibrant violet door, even if it still has some extremely thin lines across it where the posing crack had been. “Okay girls, Remus, Deceit, and I are gonna gather up whatever things we brought with us that’s Virgil’s so he can decorate however he sees fit. Aside from that, we’re all done!” Roman let out a puffy exhale, glad that this whole process was over with. Logan gave a slight nod like he didn’t just do a bunch of work, despite the sweat and how the use of a tank top with a necktie print on the front paints a different story. Even Janus and Remy seem winded.

The walkie-talkies strapped to both Remy and Janus spoke up as they all finish catching their breath. “Guys! Dinner!”

The group both letting out whoops of joy and breaths of comfort at the notion of food as they had skipped lunch. The group semi glad things had gone as smooth as they did. The smell of pasta drawing them to the lobby, where Virgil was being held by a pretty peeved-looking Remus. “Please? Just a little bit?” The group drawing their attention to Patton standing on the other side of the room too freaked out to try coming closer.

Remus shook his head at him. “Not happening Patty-Pits. We have that rule in place for a reason, and it’s not like it just applies to you since I follow it pretty rigorously too. Hell, we’re giving you, Logan, and Roman some walkie-talkies too so communication isn’t as much of a problem. There’s literally no reason for you to not follow this rule too.” Patton deflated as Remus adjusted Virgil a bit to grab a serving for the both of them.

Janus and Remy noticing Virgil’s hiding in Remus’s shoulder as the group approached. “What’s going on exactly?” Logan couldn’t help looking over at Janus, the other having a poker face as he watched Patton like a snake targeting prey.

Remus brushed the expression off as Janus being just as protective as himself. “Pat-nic over here is just having his panties in a twist over the boundary rule when it comes to split sides. Don’t worry, this  _ should _ be the last time we have this talk,  _ right? _ ” Patton kept his eyes pointed to the ground as he fiddled with his cat hoodie.

“I mean… I guess.” Logan and Roman sending a questioning glance towards Janus and Remy.

Remy slipped between them, whispering an explanation to them. “They’re talking about one of the rules we have where someone who’s a branching side has to ask permission from a split side to enter their place of residence.” Logan and Roman glanced at each other and nodded at the coffee-obsessed side.

Everyone began taking their own seats on one of the three sofas. “‘You guess’? I take it that means you disagree?” Everyone watched as Patton snapped his attention towards him.

“I- I mean… I don’t think the rule is  _ dumb _ or anything, it’s just that…” no one could make out what Patton said as his voice petered off. The silence filling the room as Patton seems to gather his thoughts left all witnessing feeling as anxious as Virgil looks at the moment. “Just… I don’t think… it’s a really needed rule…” Janus and Remus glared at the fatherly side at this comment. Patton snapped his gaze over to Roman, who was busy digging into his plate of pasta and garlic bread. “Roman, don’t you think-“

Janus’s slamming of his mug into the coffee table startling everyone. “Don’t you drag him into  _ your _ standpoint! This is your argument, not his.” Remus gestured to Roman to keep eating, Logan confused by what Janus means.

Patton leaned back slightly in frustration. “Oh, okay. So you guys can ask Virgil for his input on this but I can’t ask Roman for his?” 

Deceit rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Yes, it’s not like the rule came from  _ our _ raising of Virgil or something. Right, asking the side who was placed under a different set of household rules  **totally** makes your point make sense!” Roman feeling uncomfortable at Deceit’s raising voice. Roman couldn’t help flinching as Patton threw his fork down and stormed off from the room. Deceit rubbed his forehead in annoyance. “Great Oden, Remus. How did you  **not** handle Patton without wanting to rip your own hair out?” Remus cackles at the slightly curled-up side. 

“Oh, trust me! After the first five years of having Virgil, it got really easy to just laugh at Daddy-o instead.” Virgil peaked up as Janus leans back on the couch, a huff blowing by. 

Roman always hated it whenever Patton got really emotional like this, it usually meant that he was gonna be stuck listening to him later. For once, he didn’t really want to listen to it, a bit of guilt building in his stomach at the thought. When he looked up, Remus seemed to be the only one looking at him. He watched as his larger half nudged a fuming Janus, pointing at a glass and some juice before gesturing towards him. “Ah. Roman, would you like  **nothing** to drink with your food? Perhaps some grape or cranberry juice to go with the food? Or some ginger ale?” 

He couldn’t help nodding at the offer, mouth too full to speak at the moment. The drink he was given looked to be some sort of cranberry ginger ale, the sip he drank making him feel a bit better. “Thanks.” He watched Deceit nod, but Remus seemed to focus on both him and Virgil, he wasn’t entirely sure why. Does Remus have that weird ‘parental instinct’ thing Patton’s talked about before or something? That… doesn’t make much sense, too many questions popping in Roman’s head as he thinks of this. Although looking around, that would probably explain why Remus was trying to tell Deceit to get him a cup of juice or ale rather than the wine he’s noticed just about everyone except Virgil and himself drinking.

Remus let out a sigh, “y’know what? I think Roman, Virgil, and I should have a sleepover! Just the three of us!” A large grin plastered over his face as he looks over Virgil and Roman. 

Roman looks startled and confused by the idea. Virgil’s nod in agreement he expected, his big worry was getting Roman to stay the night. That spike of panic from Roman when Patton stormed off wasn’t just something he imagined for the fun of it. Neither was that spike of guilt. “Uhh… sure? I guess?” If Remus has to play comfort for his two favorite shorties, then so be it. He loves these rascals anyways.

Virgil watched Janus’s eyes snap from his drink over to himself. “Mm, Virgil, I should tell you that your room  **isn’t** ready for you. Remy, Remus, and I  **don’t** have some of your things in our rooms, it  **wouldn’t** be best to start moving some of those things there.” Virgil gave a small nod. He watched Roman’s food splattered face as he listened to Janus’s conversation with Remus. “Remus, if you  **d** o plan on having that sleepover, then it would be best to have it in Virgil’s room.” The slight hopping in excitement jostled Virgil’s plate a bit. 

“Ooh! That’s a great idea! We can even help out with decorating a little bit! What do ya say, Roman? You in?”

Roman couldn’t hold back a strained sigh. “Nah, I think I’ll just watch. I did help with everything else, so I think I earned a break.” A nervous laugh escaping him. This nervousness didn’t escape anyone present.

Janus and Logan quirk a brow while Remus and Remy just stare in alarm. Virgil focused on his drink over anything else, knowing this isn’t his place to comment. “Well, yeah. A break is fine Roman, there’s no pressure to keep creating.” If Remus is reading his brother right, then he’s got a bit more work cut out for him than he thought. He’d hate if Roman was hyper-focusing on just one of his functions and ignoring the others.

Virgil put his empty plate down and got up from his spot on Remus’s lap. “Okay, well this was fun ‘n all, but I probably start grabbing some of my clothes from Remy’s place and bringing it to mine.” Remy got up and walks over to Virgil, a playful smirk over his face.

“Girl, if you didn’t expect me to come help, I would have to ask when  **Deceit** took your place.” A bit of laughter picked up from everyone… except Logan. He didn’t find it very amusing. 

The two smirking and laughing as they went down the hall. Virgil couldn’t help looking at Patton’s door as they approach, nor could Remy help to hold Virgil’s hand just a bit tighter as they passed. Thank god Virgil’s door was sandwiched between Logan and Remy’s, he isn’t too sure how he’d feel if his door was as close as Roman’s is to Patton’s. 

The process of gathering up most of Virgil’s clothes… yeah, it involved tears. From both of them. It would be tough to blame either of them though, Virgil had stayed within Remy’s place ever since he was forced to be a part of the conscious side of Thomas’s mind. The number of times Virgil had taken refuge there from a way too touchy Patton and an especially peeved Roman being too many to count. Especially in the early days when Thomas still didn’t like him. Virgil chose to leave his dark grey hoodie behind with Remy. “Dude, that hoodie was yours before it was mine. And besides, I like napping in it, it’ll be a good excuse to come bug you.” The comment getting Remy to puff a bit at it.

It wasn’t long until Virgil stepped into his new home, the smell of autumn bringing him comfort. 

  
  


<3: E }

  
  
  


The first thing he added to his room once he got dressed for bed was to add a humidifier to the room before Remus called him over the walkie-talkie. “Hey, Virgin! Roman and I are outside your room, you still up for a sleepover?” A small smile pulled over his face as he picks his walkie-talkie from the nightstand. 

“Yeah, I’m still up for it. I’m up in my room.” He heard his front door opening from downstairs, followed by a startled shout along with scurrying stomps. 

The door flung open to reveal Remus in a long robe with Roman tucked under his arm like a squirming sack. “Wow, haven’t even been here an hour yet and that humidifier’s already working like a dream!” 

Roman didn’t seem to care about that as he continues to try getting out of Remus’s grip. “Put me down, you hooligan!” Virgil could tell that those were the wrong choice of words as Remus plopped Roman onto the carpet, the side wheezing dramatically a bit at the impact.

It didn’t take long for the three to get comfy on Virgil’s bed, the one goal for tonight was just sleeping. Even with Remus whining about having too much energy to sleep just yet. But quieted down upon seeing how comfortable Virgil’s become over his own home again.

None of them aware of the curtained door at the end of the hall suddenly losing its locks and boards.

**Author's Note:**

> It was Janus's turn to get pissed. I like to imagine that one of Janus's powers is to repress a side into not saying specific things but rarely uses this ability.
> 
> Not entirely sure how I did with describing Virgil's age regression, feel free to tell me if and where I screwed up so I can correct it in future writings, thanks!
> 
> If you've read this far, thank you so much!


End file.
